Nature Nurtured

NatureWorks is hosting its annual NatureWorks Art Show and Sale Saturday, March 5 from 10am to 6pm and Sunday, March 6 from 11am to 5pm at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel & Convention Center, 6808 S. 107th East Ave. Admission is $5 and provides entrance for the entire weekend. NatureWorks is a Tulsa-based non-profit organization, founded in 1991 with a mission to provide wildlife conservation and education in Northeast Oklahoma. Each year, NatureWorks provides assistance for conservation projects around the region. Past projects have included Hunters Against Hunger, where local hunters donated game to feed the needy, improved fish habitats along the Illinois River, landscaping at the Tulsa Zoo and scholarships for student wildlife artists.

This weekend's art show is the organization's major fundraising event of the year. Artists from across the country are selected from a jury of NatureWorks board members. This year's show features works by 66 celebrated wildlife artists from across the country and as far away as South Africa. The displayed work ranges from wildlife animal and landscape paintings to woodcarvings and sculpture. Once an artist is admitted into the NatureWorks show they receive an automatic invitation to return the following year.

"It is kind of like a family," said NatureWorks board member, Chelley Wallack.

This year's featured artist is sculptor Diane Mason from Berthoud, Colo.

"My work is an interpretation of the ethologies (behaviors) of animals, frequently coupled with a generous dose of whimsy," She said about her work in her artist's statement.

Mason's work brings animals to life through anatomically correct sculptures that feature playful poses.

Thirty percent of all sales from the art show will benefit NatureWorks conservation projects for the upcoming year.

In addition to the art show and numerous conservation projects throughout the year, NatureWorks is also responsible for the beautiful wildlife sculptures featured along Riverside Drive and around the city. Every year the group commissions an artist to create a large-scale sculpture of an animal that is indigenous to Oklahoma. This year's chosen animal is the Shinnery Oak Bobwhite, a type of quail native to Oklahoma. Eric Slocombe from San Marcos, Texas, has been commissioned to sculpt the monument, which will be unveiled in May.

For more information, visit natureworks.org.

First Friday at Tulsa Glassblowing School

Wild Life. Colorado artist Diane Mason is the featured artist at this weekend’s NatureWorks Show. Her work includes, “Ornate Box Turtle,” and other sculptures of animals in playful, whimsical poses.

As part of the Brady District's gallery walk, the Tulsa Glassblowing School (TGS) will feature guest artist Alex Martin on Friday, March 4 from 6-9pm. TGS features a different artist every month and offers visitors a chance to check out the studio, watch the guest artist blow glass and view work made by TGS artists.

Martin has been blowing glass for three years since attending TGS with Street School. TGS works with organizations such as Street School, Phoenix Rising and Tulsa Youth Services by providing teens with an opportunity to discover the unique art of glass blowing.

TGS is open to anyone interested in learning how to manipulate molten glass. The school hosts corporate team-building events and birthday parties in which artists teach individuals how to make small glass objects such as flowers and paperweights. TGS glass artists also teach six-week glass blowing classes for beginning, intermediate and advanced levels.

For more information, visit tulsaglassblowing.org.

Momentum OKC

Twice a year the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition celebrates the promising talents of Oklahoma artists 30 and under with Momentum: Art Doesn't Stand Still. Momentum is held every March in Oklahoma City and every October in Tulsa.

March 4 and 5 mark the 10th Anniversary of Momentum, which will stage at the Farmer's Public Market, 311 S. Klein in downtown Oklahoma City. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. The exhibition will be comprised of 128 works of art by 93 Oklahoma artists, nine of which hail from Tulsa. All forms of art will be on display including traditional two-dimensional works as well as sculpture, film, installation and performance art.

In conjunction with the juried group exhibition, the event includes Momentum Spotlight, a new exhibition in which three selected artists were allotted a $1,500 stipend to create a body of work or site specific installation for the event. This year's spotlight artists are: Sarah Engel of Norman; Alexandra Knox of Norman and J.P. Morrison of Bixby. An emerging curator is selected to work alongside Momentum's lead curator to engage in conversations with the spotlight artists that will benefit their artistic process and the creation of their work. This year's lead curator is Clint Stone; the emerging curator is Erinn Gavaghan.

For more information, visit ovac-ok.org.